impulses
impulses — 名詞
1. a strong feeling that suddenly makes you want to do something, often before you
衝動
突然想做某事的強烈念頭，常來不及細想
a strong feeling that suddenly makes you want to do something, often before you have time to think about whether it is a good idea.
Anong felt a sudden impulse to call her grandmother in Chiang Mai.
Anong 突然有股衝動，想打電話給住在清邁的奶奶。
an impulse to + [verb]
Imran fought the impulse to laugh during the long, serious speech in the school hall.
在學校禮堂那場冗長嚴肅的演講中，Imran 強忍住想笑的衝動。
fight the impulse to + [verb]
Chidi felt an impulse to buy chocolate while waiting near the supermarket checkout.
Chidi 在超市收銀台前排隊時，有股衝動想買巧克力。
Jin's counselor taught him to notice his angry impulses before shouting at his sister.
Jin 的諮商師教他在對妹妹大吼之前，先察覺自己生氣的衝動。
Late at night, Yara had an impulse to repaint the whole kitchen yellow.
深夜時，Yara 一時衝動，想把整個廚房漆成黃色。
- restraint
the choice not to act on a feeling
文法句型
an impulse to + [verb]
feel/have/get + an impulse
resist/control/fight + an impulse
用法筆記
Frequently followed by 'to + verb' or paired with verbs like 'feel', 'have', 'resist', 'control', or 'fight'. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 1 is the inner feeling itself, while sense 2 names the way of acting that follows from it.
常見錯誤
2. in the fixed phrase 'on impulse', meaning acting because of a sudden feeling rat
一時衝動
未經計畫、因突發念頭而行動
in the fixed phrase 'on impulse', meaning acting because of a sudden feeling rather than after careful thought or any plan.
Quinn bought the red guitar on impulse and worried about the price later.
Quinn 一時衝動買下那把紅色吉他，事後才開始擔心價錢。
buy + on impulse
On impulse, Pedro booked a one-way ticket to Lisbon for the weekend.
一時衝動之下，Pedro 訂了一張週末飛往里斯本的單程機票。
on impulse + [clause]
Olivia decided on impulse to dye her long hair pink before the wedding.
在婚禮前，Olivia 臨時起意把她的長髮染成粉紅色。
Acting on impulse, the climbers left the marked path and got lost in the fog.
登山客一時衝動離開了標示好的步道，結果在霧中迷了路。
- spontaneously
more formal; emphasises being unplanned and natural
- on a whim
near-synonym; suggests an even lighter, more playful decision
- deliberately
after thinking it through, not from a sudden feeling
- after careful thought
explicit opposite phrase
文法句型
do something + on impulse
act + on impulse
buy/decide/leave + on impulse
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'on impulse'. The clause that follows usually names an action that the speaker now sees as unplanned, surprising, or risky. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is the inner feeling (countable noun); sense 2 is the adverbial phrase about how an action was carried out.
常見錯誤
3. a brief burst of energy — whether electrical, in the form of light, or as a radi
脈衝
傳遞訊息的短暫電、光或無線訊號
a brief burst of energy — whether electrical, in the form of light, or as a radio wave — that travels inside a machine or a living body to carry information between its parts.
Nerve impulses travel from Eitan's fingertips to his brain in under a second.
神經脈衝從 Eitan 的指尖傳到他的大腦，過程不到一秒。
impulses + travel from + [start] + to + [end]
The heart monitor sends short electrical impulses to the printer each time Anna breathes.
Anna 每次呼吸時，心電監視器就會把短暫的電脈衝送到印表機。
send + electrical impulses + to + [device]
Doctors recorded weak nerve impulses in Lara's left arm after the accident.
事故之後，醫生在 Lara 的左手臂上記錄到微弱的神經訊號。
Each key press generates a light impulse that the cable carries to the computer.
每次按鍵都會產生一個光脈衝，由電纜傳送到電腦。
文法句型
send/transmit/carry + an impulse
electrical/nerve + impulse
impulses + travel/pass + along/through + [path]
用法筆記
Often modified by 'electrical', 'nerve', 'radio', or 'light' to show what type of signal it is. Subject of verbs like 'travel', 'pass', 'fire', or object of 'send', 'transmit', 'carry'. Distinguish from sense 1 (a mental urge) and sense 4 (a general driving force): sense 3 is concrete and measurable, used in science and engineering contexts.
常見錯誤
4. something, such as an event or idea, that starts an activity or makes it grow st
推動力；動力
促使某活動展開或變強的事件或原因
something, such as an event or idea, that starts an activity or makes it grow stronger; the underlying reason or push behind a change.
Cheap government loans gave a strong impulse to new home-building across Kaohsiung last year.
去年高雄各區新住宅的興建，受到了政府低利貸款的強力推動。
give + an impulse to + [activity]
The main impulse behind the protests was anger over rising food prices.
這波抗議背後的主要動力，是民眾對糧價上漲的怒火。
the impulse behind + [activity]
Christopher's funding provided fresh impulse for research into rare childhood diseases.
Christopher 提供的資金，為罕見兒童疾病的研究帶來新的推動力。
A meeting with the old teacher gave Matthew the impulse to return to medical school.
與舊老師的一次會面，讓 Matthew 有了重回醫學院的動力。
- obstacle
something that slows or blocks the activity instead of pushing it forward
文法句型
give + an impulse + to + [activity]
the impulse + behind/for + [activity]
provide/add + impulse
用法筆記
Subject is often an abstract noun (event, idea, policy, meeting) that triggered a larger change. Common with verbs like 'give', 'provide', 'add', or in the phrase 'the impulse behind/for'. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 4 is an external trigger or motive that drives an activity or movement, not a personal inner feeling.